Support thread from Arts & Crafts for the blankets

[tribpot]

We've been talking quite a lot on the main thread about getting the stitches right for a particular square with a lovely heart design in it. You need to be registered on Ravelry to see it here or with the designer's website (also free) to see it here.

The race is on to see whether any of us can complete it without going completely insane at the difficulty of some of the patterns, so we are having a (supportive) 'heart-off' this weekend to try and get it done without flooding the main thread with messages about it.

On the cast list so far are: GleamingHeels, MinnieBar and me, but all are welcome - beware though, you have to supply your own valium.

I've just recharted it to get it down to a size that will knit out to (about) 6", so have chopped out 4 rows of border from the bottom, 2 stitches of border from the sides and 2 stitches of the plain bit between the outer and inner border. So I'm starting with 29 stitches. I'd prob prefer to have 3 rows of border and 3 side stitches of border too, but as the square is going to be put into a larger blanket (unless rejected by our Blanket Mistresses Pistey and Knotty) I thought a slightly scrappy border would probably be okay.

Me and donkey have merged.

If anyone is wavering because of all the difficult bits, I'm working on a set of instructions which only have the outside border and the heart in the middle and only requires the ability to knit and purl in the same row.

Barbara - it is perfectly doable, provided you are suitably medicated. However, I personally don't like the pattern for the Dreaded Rows 11 and 12 and so am experimenting. It works fine, though.

chip - I made you into one person with Donkey for simplicity, but Donkey is otherwise disposed so you are your own person on this thread again

Simple version below' though please not this is not Trib's special adapted chart for 6 inch squares - I knit the original on 3 and 3/4 needles and it comes out right for me. This one just omits the dreaded rows and the vertical knit two together and SlipSlipKnits and exludes all yarn ons and double yo's yoyo's

I'm just going to knit this to double check the instructions - but if you want to help me check them, here you go

note this is not Trib's sigh...

Great work Gleaming - I think your needles must be 3.75mm rather than some kinda ker-azy imperial thing, but I can see why you'd be thrown off.

I have to say, I'm not sure anyone but me actually needs an adapted pattern to make an 8" one work at 6" as you can all miraculously drop one needle size and have it come out right. I've ended up only chopping out 4 stitches and moving to 3.25 mm needles but hey ho. I am going to try my new Bottom Border Without Yawning Chasms, aka a version of the pattern with a less stress-inducing experience of the Dreaded Rows 11 and 12 that nearly finished Minnie off yesterday.

We want Trib's Bottom ...umm

We want Trib's Bottom Border Without Yawning Chasms ... that's better

I'm pretty sure these needles are 3.75mm, but they're ancient and have 3 3/4 printed on the plastic bit at the top... I have a right mixture of old and new-ish and really recent - I really must buy a gauge

I'm still here and watching, and feeling all left out :( I want to knit the square from hell too!

Poor Donkey seperated from Chip and all left out in one day^

I know!

I'm cheering Chip on though, I like to think we shared something special, although briefly, there.

I've finished knitting the simpler square - think my instructions are fine - phew...
simple heart square

.. and I'll post photos tomorrow - now - goodnight

Morning All, Photos have been added to my profile

Love it, Gleaming - nice work!

I am still finishing off the square with the Yawning-Chasm-free Border (I decided to exclude the word 'bottom' from the description on this occasion ) but here is a quick pic showing the revised 'lower' border; it's not brilliant but at least it doesn't involve the Double Yarn-overs of Doom.

Thanks Trib - your ahem 'lower' border looks lovely, I'll need to knit it when you've put it on Ravelry - though what am I going to do with three squares in hot pink....

Hmm yes - although I imagine Refuge will do their blanket squares appeal again this year, that was actually what got me back into knitting in the first place! I don't think they stipulate colours or wool content, just that it should be DK.

Refuge, that's interesting, will Google, thanks

Can I just have a mini-hijack for my Baby Surprise Jacket which I finished literally 10 mins ago (and hence why the heart square is not yet complete) - this is such a genius pattern!

The Refuge campaign has closed but the details are here - the booklet is still available in return for a donation.

Trib that baby jacket is absolutely brilliant - it is a thing of loveliness - the construction looks really interesting too. You're v clever

I don't think the Refuge booklet is still available - says it is on the site - but when you click through to the just giving page it says it isn't. Never mind, I'll keep an eye out for their 2012 campaign

Two words: Lady Port

(squares look awesome; loving the border revision)

Gleaming I can't take any credit for the construction of the Baby Surprise Jacket, it is a thing of utter genius. It is knitted all in a single piece, so it looks like nothing on earth once you've finished (i.e. this and then you just flip it round, fold once piece over another and: voila. Instant awesomeness. I have two friends due this month and neither have admitted to the sex of the baby, so I am thinking about starting one in the gorgeous Cashsoft yarn of the square and another in some fab cotton and then I can nip in some gender-specific colour at the end when the babies are actually born.

I think if you donate and email Refuge, they'll still send you the booklet, it's the campaign itself that's finished. There are some lovely squares in it.

MinnieBar - welcome back! You'll be pleased to know that despite revising the pattern all weekend it's still square and still has a heart in the middle :)

Btw, if anyone does want to get past the dreaded rows 11 and 12, this is what I think you do, bearing in mind I've been working off a pattern with fewer rows in to try and make it 6" without knitting on matchsticks. It does introduce another row into the pattern, so you'll need to adjust or just cope with all the row numbers being one ought, I'll see how it looks on the full size pattern in Excel when I finally get to the end!

Rows 1-10: as pattern
Row 11: (K1. P1) twice. K4. (yo, ssk) 9 times. K1. (yo, ssk) 1 more time. K4. (P1. K1) twice.
Row 12: (K1. P1) twice. K1. Purl to last 5 sts (K1. P1) twice. K1.
Row 13: (K1. P1) twice. K4. (k2tog, yo) 9 times. K1 (k2tog, yo) 1 more time. K4. (P1. K1) twice.

Rows thereafter as pattern, until you get to row 43, which is where you do the Upper Border of Doom. My plan is to do the k2tog, yo row (my row 13 in the pattern) and then after a purl row the yo, ssk row (my row 11). I would move the rogue extra stitch that makes the count up to 21 from one corner to the other to make it less obvious.

Trib, LOVE the baby jacket!

Right, so I did my own adaptation of the heart square which was simply to omit the first and last two stitches of each row and to reduce the number of border rows down to three on each end. This keeps it to the 33 stitches required.
Now, I managed to get most of the difficult rows right but messed up on the heart itself. So I had to unravel a couple of lines at the top of the heart and in re-knitting it seem to have messed up somewhat. I also seem to have created a hole to the side of the heart.

Anyhow, my imperfect heart is on my profile pics. I will try to do another more perfect one but if my pale pink wool, is, as I think, waiting in the sorting office, I will have to get on with the care bear.

Tribpot I like your BSJ, I've knit that a couple of times myself, it amazes me every time!

Thanks chipdonkey - together again! - it is an astonishing thing.

chip - the heart looks great, well done on making it through.